Wakefield

Wakefield's population grew in the decade to 2011. Data from the census also show there were changes in marriage, religion and ethnicity.

The population reached nearly 330,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Wakefield increased by 3.4%, from about 315,000 to 326,000.

The addition of almost 11,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wakefield was home to, on average, 6.9 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Wakefield

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Wakefield increased by three years, from 38 to 41 years.

This industrial area had a higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 8,200 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 10,000.

About 12% of people in Wakefield are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Wakefield

The percentage of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased in Wakefield, but at a slower rate than across Yorkshire and The Humber.

In Wakefield, the proportion of single people increased from 26% in 2001 to 31% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 29% to 34%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased from 29% to 34%.

The proportion of married people in Wakefield fell from 53% to 48%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 12% to 13%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More single parents

Wakefield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest rise in the proportion of single-parent households.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11%) households in Wakefield had a single parent, compared with 9.7% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising a married couple decreased from 40% to 35%.

Across the region, only Calderdale (from 9.2% to 11%) and Craven (from 6.8% to 8.1%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of single-parent households.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of single-parent households, as the regional average grew from 9.5% to 10%.

The percentage of households with a single-parent was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Wakefield

Census 2011 asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, 24% said they had no religion. The figure increased from 24% in 2001

The number of people in Wakefield that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 37,000 in 2001 to just over 79,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 12% to 24% of those who chose to disclose information about their religious affiliation.

The percentage increased by more than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 14% to 26%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Wakefield that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 250,000 in 2001 to just under 220,000 in 2011 (from 78% to 66%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from just over 26,000 to about 21,000 (from 8.3% to 6.4%).

About 6,500 people (1.1%) said they were Muslim, up from just under 3,600 in 2001 (2.0%).

The population without a religion in Wakefield increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Wakefield

The percentage of Wakefield residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.2% to 4.7% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 7.0%, while the percentage of Wakefield residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 89%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.5% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Wakefield

Census 2011 asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, 95% said they were from the White ethnic groups. The figure increased from 95% in 2001

The number of people in Wakefield from the White ethnic groups remained close to just over 310,000 between the last two censuses. However, as a percentage of the local population, this represented a decrease from 98% to 95%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 93% to 89%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Wakefield from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from about 4,900 in 2001 to just under 8,500 in 2011 (from 1.6% to 2.6%). The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from about 1,400 to about 2,900 (from 0.5% to 0.9%).

About 2,500 people (0.1%) said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, up from just under 440 in 2001 (0.8%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Wakefield decreased by 2.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Wakefield, but at a slower rate than in Doncaster (one of the most statistically similar areas to Wakefield based on ONS area classifications).

In Wakefield, the proportion of private renting increased from 5.7% in 2001 to 11% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in statistically similar Doncaster increased from 6.6% to 15%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of privately rented homes increased from 9.1% to 16%.

The rate of social housing in Wakefield fell from 28% to 24%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 65% to 64%.

Private renting in Wakefield increased by 5.7 percentage points

Percentage of households in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Wakefield residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 12% to 7.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (77%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 65% in 2001. The percentage of Wakefield residents that described their health as fair decreased from 23% to 16%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Wakefield decreased by 4.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Wakefield working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 12% to 8.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under 1 in 40 (2.3%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.4% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 13% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13% to 10%.

Long hour working in Wakefield decreased by 3.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Wakefield residents that were unemployed increased from 3.5% to 4.9% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in two (54%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 53% in 2001. The percentage of Wakefield residents that were self-employed increased from 5.8% to 6.9%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.7% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Wakefield increased by 1.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Wakefield with only adult children living with their parents remained close to 10% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (29%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 31% in 2001. The percentage of households in Wakefield without children increased from 59% to 61%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Wakefield residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.4% to 1.7% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 2.7%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.2% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Wakefield remained close to 1.7%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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